The invention relates to a device for treating substrates in a fluid container having a transport device that can be placed atop the fluid container, the transport device having at least one substrate holding device that secures the substrates in a first position and releases them in a second position. The invention also relates to a method for transporting substrates.
Such a device is known from German Patent Application 44 13 077 owned by the applicant. The hood in this device is provided to cover the top of the fluid container in which the substrates are treated during the treatment process and to introduce via the hood a fluid, for example, a gas mixture that, according to the Marangoni principle, improves drying of the wafers which are being moved out of the fluid bath.
To the top side of the fluid container a securing device is fixedly connected which, after removal of the wafers from the treatment fluid, secures the wafers in a position above the fluid level. For transporting the substrates in this position, for example, upon returning the wafer into a wafer support, the hood is pivoted open so that a gripping device can grip the substrates held by the holding device and can move it over to the substrate support. The loading of the treatment device with the gripping device is carried out in the reverse sequence. Subsequently, the hood is again pivoted so as to cover the substrates which have been placed by the gripping device onto the holding device.
Even though the known device can be operated with great success, it still has various disadvantages. Each movement with an additional gripping device requires time which negatively affects the productivity of the device. Also, each movement of the substrates from one holder to another in principle increases the risk of damaging the substrates. Furthermore, the position of the substrates in the holding device, after pivoting the hood into an open position or before closing it, is instable because the substrates are only held at their underside in slots of the holding device. Furthermore, each container requires such holding devices as well as drive units for displacing the holding devices so that the manufacturing costs and service expenditures are high.